


Wonder

by BulletStrong



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: A story requested from the winner of a giveaway, Alternate Universe, Daniella Mills is an OC, F/F, Swan Queen - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-20
Updated: 2016-12-20
Packaged: 2018-09-10 13:51:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8919562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BulletStrong/pseuds/BulletStrong
Summary: The one where Regina gets cranky when she's stressed, Emma's rolling her eyes, and a young girl plays Wonder Woman... kind of. Swan Queen AU.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Clarissa](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clarissa/gifts).



> This is a request from the lovely Clarissa (@OliviaTroi)! They won a giveaway event from an account I moderate called @SwanQueenSource (go follow on twitter if you haven't! It's all about SQ news in fandom, BTS, or anything else!).
> 
> I really hope you like this Clarissa! Enjoy!

Children were blessing, mostly when they weren't throwing up on your new Chanel blouse or in the back seat of your black mini van, which was once a sleek Mercedes. Although Regina wouldn't trade the vomit and mom car for anything because it came with the greatest title and children. 

Her biggest dream had always been the large belly, aching feet, and the painful birth that would give her bundles of joy she could raise and spoil rotten. While her mother had detested Regina's urge to be a mother, she never wavered. Even after she was informed that she couldn't convince and her late husband passed away, she never stopped searching for a way. One evening, while driving home from her long day at City Hall, she drove past a bus with an advertisement plastered on its side that urged people to foster. From there, she researched fostering and adoption, and quickly came to the conclusion that her destiny was to take in a child and give it the love it had been missing. While it was a hard sell, considering she was a single mother, she was allowed to adopt because of her significant wealth and her parents vouching as a support system. 

That's how she got Henry. He was left at a police station and immediately sent into foster care, but he was soon matched up with the Mayor of Storybrooke, who would love him unconditionally and fiercely. He was her little prince. 

When Henry turned five, he noticed the other children at school drawing their siblings onto their homework assignments (he also noticed pictures of all different parental figures and it lead to a teaching moment she prided herself on, as he truly became such an accepting young man). His inquiries made her mind churn, and soon enough she was applying to adopt once more.

That's how she got Daniella. The little girl was picked up by Regina when she was four, and Henry was eight. She was sassy, intelligent, and radiant. Her personality always struck a chord with people. She also happened to be confined to a wheelchair. The girl was a part of a fatal car accident that killed her parents and left her with a spinal cord injury. When Regina was presented with Daniella and her circumstances, she found she couldn't say no. She had the means to care for the child and she had an abundance of love to offer. She also had read the statistics and knew that Daniella's chances for adoption weren't high, and Regina refused to allow the vibrant child to be trapped in the system until she aged out. 

When Daniella began attending elementary school, everything went smoothly. They had ramps, a social worker assigned to her, and teachers that made sure she could keep up. Daniella was extremely bright and never had trouble learning. In fact, they went on to find out that she has an eidetic memory. The girl was the one who introduced Emma to her.

Emma Swan was Daniella's social worker during her elementary school years. The blonde case worker was hired by the school under Regina's urging and she was a beloved by Daniella and Henry alike. After a few months of Daniella speaking about the blonde and her adventures with her, the little girl begged her mother to invite Emma to dinner. While it perhaps seemed unethical, Regina just couldn't say no to those big, blue eyes. 

The dinners with Emma Swan became routine and, slowly but surely, Emma began staying after the children went to bed. They would drink wine and joke about their days, and Regina would soak up all the tidbits Emma would tell about her daughter. The two women progressively grew closer until one night Regina, with the alcohol skewing her depth perception, leaned a little too far in her effort to grab her wine glass from the table and bumped her lips against Emma's. It was horribly uncoordinated, but both women sunk into it and sweetly kissed. They parted with a blush but quickly leaned back in to do it all over again. The rest was history.

Currently, Daniella is thirteen and Henry is seventeen. It's crazy to think about, Regina muses. Her son is close to graduating high school, already searching for colleges, and her daughter is heading to middle school. The latter is a source of major stress for Regina.

Unlike the elementary school, the middle school did not have ramps, which was an issue considering Daniella couldn't enter the premises without them. The now teenage Daniella constantly tries to calm Regina, especially after she noticed that Regina and Emma kept snapping at each other, mostly because Regina was being snippy and confrontational from the stress. Like right now.

"Oh yes, because you know so much about being a mother!" She watches Emma's face fall and she wants to take it back immediately, but Emma beats her to it.

"You don't mean that. We both know you don't, because you know that I love your children like they're my own. They're important to me. Goddamn it, Regina, I fought for Daniella's rights at school and made sure she was getting what she needed. It hurts me so much that I can't do anything for her, that I can't make it better." Emma sighs and runs a hand through her long hair. "God, I'm so tired of this." 

Regina rears back, taking the statement out of context, perhaps because she's just in the mood to argue or perhaps because her throat tightens with fear that maybe she pushed Emma too far and now the blonde would leave her. "If you want out, just say so."

Emma rolls her eyes and Regina feels a lump in her throat. "Regina, I'm not leaving unless you want me to. Do you want me to?"

Regina freezes and tenses. Her anger and stress is telling her to push and push until she can't ruin Emma anymore, until Emma is free from her cold heart. Her love for the blonde is screaming at her to stop, to not lose her lover. 

Before Regina's mind can battle for an answer, a small voice sounds from the kitchen doorway. "Please don't go, Emma."

Daniella looks downtrodden and Regina's heart physically hurts. The young girl smoothly wheels into the room and stops between them. She startles Regina when she gives a soft look instead of one full of hatred. She whispers, "It's okay, mom. I know you're just scared for me and you want me to be treated fairly, but you know what I want? I want us all to be happy, and Emma makes us happy. She makes you happy."

Regina lowers to her knees in front of her daughter and kisses her forehead gently, and if a tear lands on the girls dark hair, neither mention it. "Oh Danny, my wonderful girl."

"She makes you happy, mom." Regina spares a glance at Emma and chokes down a sob when she sees the blondes eyes red-rimmed and tearful. "She's kind of like the Poison Ivy to your Harley Quinn."

That relieves some tension as both adults release a chuckle at Daniella's newest obsession leaking into a serious conversation. Regina looks to Emma and smiles coyly. She's not quite sure where they stand until Emma slyly blows her a kiss before grinning.

"Yes, darling, I suppose she is." Daniella smirks, as if smug that she saved the day like Wonder Woman. 

A wonder, she is.


End file.
